PANAJI: Mission Rabies , a countrywide initiative, has set 2025 as the deadline to attain rabies-free status for Goa.Director of strategic research, Dr Andy Gibson, told reporters that the organisation, together with the government, hopes to eliminate human deaths caused due to rabies by 2020 and canine rabies cases by 2023.“If there are no rabies cases for the next two years (after 2023), Goa can apply for rabies-free status from the World Health Organisation,” he said, adding anti-rabies vaccinations will continue for seven years thereafter. This will help the state achieve a global gold standard tourist destination status.Two human deaths as a result of rabies and 79 canine rabies cases were reported last year. “This year, however, no human death has been reported till now, though there have been 24 canine rabies cases,” Gibson said.A mass vaccination drive is under way in the Bardez taluka, and the voluntary organisation has appealed to the public to cooperate with getting their own dogs as well as those in their vicinity vaccinated. Mission Rabies director of education (India), Dr Murugan Appupillai, told reporters the team faced resistance while getting dogs vaccinated in Sanguem, where rumours among the locals sparked fear of the vaccination drive.Julie Corfmat, the mission’s project manager in Goa, said the team has been able to vaccinate a large number of dogs from the state’s beaches, as they found they were comfortable being around people and could be lured with food.While vaccination alone cannot help eliminate rabies, the state government recently asked Mission Rabies for a proposal to sterilise 50,000 dogs over a period of one year.The state has about 1.5 lakh dogs, of which 75,000 are owned dogs.

Stay updated with all the Latest Goa headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.